


Waiting To Exhale

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-02-03
Updated: 2002-02-03
Packaged: 2019-05-15 13:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14791473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Sam begins writing a fundraising speech and trouble ensues





	Waiting To Exhale

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Author: Venus 

Genre: drama/cast

Rating: PG

Summary: Sam begins writing a fundraising speech and trouble ensues

Spoilers and Warnings: none

Title: Waiting to Exhale

He absently noted the tightening in his chest, but continued to write the President's fund-raising speech for Saturday. He chewed on his pen, while considering the fact that even incumbent candidates had to spend a fair amount of time preaching to the converted. A few minutes passed, and his breathing became increasingly shallow and labored. Over the next half-hour the wheezing was replaced by severe shortness of breath.

Only then, did Sam reach for the inhaler in his top desk drawer. He shook it, and proceeded to take the prescribed amount, holding the medication for 10 seconds, before exhaling slowly. However, it did nothing to alleviate his symptoms, or calm the increasingly dangerous situation. Light-headed, he began to panic, clearly the damn thing was empty. He needed help. Although the death rates were low, about a half a million people did die from asthma related symptoms every year. 

Before loosing consciousness he hurled his copy of HR 506 against the window separating his office from Toby's.

Toby looked up, startled at the noise caused by some large book hitting his window. He glanced towards Sam's office and gritted his teeth. Toby was pissed, he had been focused, in the zone, the nirvana of all speech writers. Here he was trying to concentrate, focus on the difficult road ahead of them, and Sam was fooling around. Since Toby was fairly certain his "zone time" had come to an unnatural, but decided end, he decided to pester his deputy, make him pay for his insolence. 

"Damn you, Sam!" yelled Toby as he made his approached Sam's door. 

Toby's eyes were greeted by the sight of Sam's head on the desk. He noticed that the deputy's eyes were closed, and he could hear the halting, painful, choking that was getting less and less oxygen into Sam's body. He saw the discarded inhaler on the desk, just beyond the reach of Samuel's limp palm, the fingernail's on his hand, bluish in color. He hesitated only a moment more before yelling for help.

Toby approached Sam and propped the younger man's head up. Then the stampede came. Naturally, Cathy was first, as she was the closest.

"What..?" she asked, the unfinished question dying on her lips. Donna, Josh, and CJ came soon after, each rushing in to see what could be done. 

Toby quelled his own fear and took command of the situation. "CJ!" he commanded, "Go get the First Lady, NOW!" He didn't want to think of what would happen if they didn't get help soon. Before bolting out the door, she asked what she should say. Toby looked at her like he wanted to throttle her, but Josh understood the necessity of the inquiry. "I'll go," he said before running to FLOTUS's office. 

Josh pushed his way past Lilly and into Abigail's office. "Dr. Bartlet! It's an emergency, Sam has.. look I don't know how it happened..." 

"Slow Down, Josh." She commanded.

"I can't Mrs. Bartlet, we have to go!"

"What is wrong with Sam?"

"He has asthma, I guess he had some kind of severe attack, I don't know... He is currently passed out in his office and his breathing is extremely labored."

"But, he is still breathing?"

"Sort of... " Josh affirmed.

"Did someone call an ambulance?"

"Yes, Cathy did."

"Okay, here is what we need..."

****************  


Sam blinked his eyes in the bright light, suppressing his gag reflex. He recognized the white, sterile environment and the tubes connecting him to a large number of machines, sand surmised that he was in a hospital. Slowly, he began to recall the events from his office: the attack, the empty inhaler, and then the black abyss of nothingness that is the shelter of the unconscious mind. 

"Your awake," observed Toby. His tone was flat; there was no surprise or relief evident in the statement. Sam was momentarily hurt by his boss's apathy. 

He tried to respond, "try to contain your enthusiasm, " but it came out more like... "ghrghgheghh." Sam swallowed thickly and winced at the pain, and one of the machines began to beep insistently in the background.

Toby leaped from his bed-side chair looking frightened, "Sam! Are you okay?" 

Sam just nodded, concluding that it must have been necessary to shove something down his throat to help in the breathing process. He was secretly pleased that Toby cared some for his well-being, although the communications director was hard pressed to show his concern most of the time. 

A lab-coat clad figure peeked her head in the doorway. Toby took the hint and moved to depart the premises. "I, ah, guess I better go get the others now..." Toby said quietly, uncertainly, looking intently at Sam as if to gauge whether or not he could handle a rush of visitors. "Josh has been driving the nursing staff crazy. I know for a fact that at least one of them wanted to give him a tranquilizer." He laughed nervously before departing for the waiting room.

Toby was uncomfortable in hospitals and around sick people. Sam had scared the hell out of him, and he hated that vulnerability. As he came into view from behind the admit desk, Josh ran to him. "Is he ok? Is he awake? What.."

Toby cut him off in mid question. "He is awake Josh, the doctor is in there right now talking to him about something."

By this time the White House staff assembled in the room had all turned their heads in Toby's direction. He shrugged his shoulders; he didn't really have any other pertinent information. He could tell them all how thin and tired Sam had looked, how he seemingly relapsed moments after regaining consciousness. The beeping of the machine still echoed in his head. He crossed his arms and sighed as he sat down in one of the tan chairs. 

Josh looked pleadingly to Toby, clearly wanting more information, better assurances... .

Toby was let off the hook by the entrance of the doctor. 

"You are all here for Samuel Seaborn?" she questioned, checking the name on her chart again.

"Yes," said Josh, desperately, the rest merely nodding in confirmation.

"It looks as though he will be fine," a collective sigh of relief rippled through the room. CJ even broke into a smile, she didn't relish working without spanky.

"However," she continued, noticing the accusing stares due to the added caveat, "we need to check and make sure there as no permanent damage due to lack of oxygen or any other unpredictable complication." The doctor paused to let them process that information before continuing, "you can go to see him in groups of two, but remember that he needs to rest, okay? I will talk to you all again shortly." She turned and walked back down the gleaming corridor, leaving a somewhat unsettled group in her wake.

Donna turned to CJ and asked what many of them were thinking, "what did she mean by 'permanent damage'?"

"Don't worry," assured Cathy with far more bravado than she felt, " I am sure it is just some formality. Who is going to visit first?"

Josh was already halfway there, and so Cathy volunteered for the second slot. 

Josh leaned in, hugging Sam, as if to make sure he was real before sitting in the chair beside the bed. Cathy took her Sam's hand in hers, pleased to see his beautiful blue eyes looking back at her.

"What the Hell were you thinking scaring me like that?" began Josh. In response Sam smiled, yes... everything would be okay.

********** THE END*************

  


End file.
